


Full of Life

by Lady Destinee Zara (LadyDestineeZara)



Series: FrUk Halloween Week 2k15 [5]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 17:37:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5099642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDestineeZara/pseuds/Lady%20Destinee%20Zara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur was wrongly sent to an Asylum by his father.<br/>An Asylum with medieval treatments that looked more like torture than a proper medical treatments.<br/>But in the middle of a fight to keep his sanity, Arthur met Francis.<br/>Now he needed to escape with Francis from that hellhole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello there =D
> 
> Welcome to the fiveth day of the FrUk Halloween Week 2k15, "Asylum"!
> 
> First of all: Hetalia doesn’t belong to me. If it belonged, I would be the Queen of the world. Literally.
> 
> Characters names (in case you don’t know):  
> Arthur Kirkland: APH England  
> Francis Bonnefoy: APH France  
> Alistair Kirkland: APH Scotland.  
> The other inmates (who are not named) are APH Spain, APH Prussia, APH Japan, APH Poland. 
> 
> Just one little note before you start reading:  
> \- [text after dashes] = TALKING  
> (A Brazillian custom, I guess)
> 
> Now, to the story!

Until that day, Arthur believed that Asylums were not like described on movies or books, those cruel and inhumane places with straitjacket, beating and other nasty things. They were in the 21th Century, so those things didn’t exist anymore.

Well, he didn’t believe that his father would throw him on a “loony bin” for being gay either, but there he was: at an almost medieval asylum for being homosexual (and “having an attitude” according to the “doctor”).

The Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum: Home of Wayward & Lost Souls was far away from the big cities, but close to a small village whose name Arthur didn’t have the time to learn and near an old forest. His father had knocked the sixteen years old teen out with a bottle of beer and tied him up on the trunk of the car. All the geography of the nearby locations that Arthur knew came from a map on which he caught a glimpse on the reception.

His father just dropped him there. He didn’t even dignify to see his son’s “accommodations”.

The only person that could care about Arthur’s wellbeing and have some power to stop that madness, his older brother Alistair, apparently chose to let his father do as he pleased.

On his arrival, Arthur was submitted to a shower with pressure hose and cold water while the nurses (male and female) smirked and said “fresh meat”. He was forced into a strip search and beaten when he resisted (he could be good handling his own, but they were 8 tough guys against him). He was put on solitary and left without food for the night.

On his first official day at the Asylum, he met his doctor, Dr. Heironymous Q. Wilson, an old, pompous and arrogant man who assumed that Arthur considered homosexuality an abomination and wanted to be “normal”. Arthur spit on Dr. H’s face. Not his smartest move, but he was quite proud of that and for all the stuff that he said to the bastard’s face. Dr. H stared at him with the arrogance of one who judges the others, and by his judgment, Arthur was mad as a hatter. As punishment, the English young man was beaten again, tied up with straitjacket, gagged and left the whole day without food.

And that was just the start.

On the following days, Arthur was submitted to more crude treatments that he cared to count. Freezing baths, weird drugs which made Arthur vomit the little that he ate, the dreadful straitjacket (a torment by itself), being tied upside down, fucking bloodletting! Who the fuck does bloodletting to treat mental illness in the 21th fucking Century!

But the worst part was Dr. H appointments and the brainwashing sessions. They made “A Clockwork Orange” treatments seems like a better option than that.

Arthur was surviving and keeping his mind in place due to extreme stubbornness.

By his counts, one month had passed since he arrived there. He was not sure, though, because he fought back with all the strength that he still had, so he ended on the solitary a lot. Dr. H would always stare at him as if the doctor was some God and Arthur just a disgusting worm. He would say that someday he would end up cutting Arthur “wings”. Arthur didn’t have a bloody clue on what the fuck that scrotum meant with that.

One month and that was the first time Arthur was seeing daylight and the others inmates.

He was using a straightjacket again and he was tied up to the wheeling chair that the nurse was using to push him to the ward.

\- Now, you behave, scumbag. – nurse D said rolling her eyes.

\- Or what? You are going to tie me? Oh, wait…

\- Or I will gag you and left you with no dinner.

Arthur clenched his jaw. Nurse D smiled.

\- Do you want that, boy?

\- No, ma’am.

\- Good. Now be a good boy, and stay here. – she smirked – You may even learn something with these well behaved fellows.

Arthur sighed.

\- Can you at least tell me why am I being allowed here so suddenly?

\- Simple, we don’t have time for you now. We have more important people to attend.

\- And here I was thinking that I was special.

\- You are nothing boy. Now, shut up.

The room was plain in yellow. There was a table with some stuff on it and 20 inmates sitting there using the same ugly brown uniform as Arthur. Most of them were so immobile that they almost seemed like human size dolls. Music was coming from the sound system, the same music repeatedly. The doors to the corridor were kept open, so it was possible to see the nurses walking around.

Nurse D stopped near a group of other inmates. They didn’t seem to be grouped together, just to happen to be seated on the same place by accident. Then she locked the wheeling chair.

\- Now, zip it!

As soon as she walked away, Arthur turned to the other patients.

\- Please, untie me! I’m not crazy! I’m here unfairly! Please, untie me.

The other five inmates stared at him with vacant eyes.

\- No English. – one of them said with an Spanish accent before staring out of the window with sadness in his green eyes.

\- _Ich spreche kein Englisch_. – another, an albino boy with red eyes, said quietly.

\- _Watashi wa eigo ga hanasenai kowaidesu_. – an Asian boy answered bowing his head.

\- No English. – another one said with an accent (Arthur was almost certain that it was Polish).

Arthur groaned.

\- Are you SERIOUS that all of you are from a different part of the fucking world?

He glared at the last one of the group. There were other people in the room but those 5 were the only ones that could hear him without Arthur needing to scream.

The last one sighed.

\- _Je ne parle pas anglais_. [I don’t speak English]

Arthur sighed in relief. His mother made him learn a little of French before passing away. A very broken French, but that would have to be enough.

\- _Libèrer moi_ [Free I], ple- _sil vous plait_ [please]! _Moi non fou_ [I not crazy]. Please!

The French young man looked visibly shocked. The other four looked between themselves before shrugging.

\- _Ce n'est pas la peine_. [It is no use]

\- Like HELL it is!

The French had blond long hair that seemed unkempt and dirty. He was pale and thin, probably due to malnutrition, his blue eyes were lost and full of dark circles. It seemed like it was a while since he bathed or shaved. He probably was just a few years older than the Englishman, being probably 20 or early 20s. He stared at Arthur as if he had a second head.

\- _Ils vont vous attraper à nouveau_ [They will capture you again].

\- _Moi_ [I] deal… - Arthur shallowed tried to find the right words in his rusty French vocabulary – Fuck! I can handle it! How to say that in this stupid language!?

He stared at the Frenchman trying to with a single look translate all his urgency. That might be his only chance at escaping.

\- _Libèrer moi_ [Free I]. _Sil vous plait, sil vous plait, sil vous plait_ [please, please, please].

The French stared at him for a while in a dumb way. For one second Arthur thought that he might have some mental retardation or other condition.

Then he just shrugged in a very French way and stood up, walking to a table where lots of children toys and stationary stuff was.

Arthur groaned and tried to move even if he knew it was no use. He was going insane with all the time he was kept tied up in straightjackets. Those things were made by the devil himself. Even Arthur’s nightmares now had straightjackets.

The French young man sat back by his side. His companions stared at him with mild disinterest and indifference.

The English boy ignored and tried to move more. Maybe he could do like Houdini and escape. He needed to! It was his only chance to get to the front door and leave!

But after half an hour trying to fight the jacket, he was tired, sweated and more pissed off than ever. And what was with that music being played over and FUCKING over again? That REALLY was starting to get to Arthur’s nerves. He would give ANYTHING to get free from the jacket and to break the sound system.

Arthur stayed panting for solid five minutes. Fuck! What could he do?

The other inmates seemed to be completely indifferent to his efforts to escape. 

He closed his eyes in desperation. Arthur wouldn’t give the cruel staff the satisfaction of seeing him cry and break down, but it was so fucking hard…

He felt a hand pushing his back to the front gently, asking him to bend his back.

He opened his eyes alarmed. Was it nurse D to get him back to his cell already?

But it was only the Frenchman again. He bended Arthur’s back a little while staring at the door.

\- _Vous devez courir_ [You must run].

Arthur stared at what he was looking.

The nurses were changing shifts.

The PERFECT opportunity to go.

He felt a hand (probably the French’s) messing with the lock on his straightjacket and then he felt the ties getting loose.

\- _Attendez_. [Wait]. – the French teen said, holding Arthur’s shoulder.

The English boy almost didn’t hear the soft clicking of the jacket being unclipped from the wheel chair.

He was completely free now.

The other four near them seemed to shake their heads in disapproval together.

\- _Je vais les distraire. Tu cours_ [I will distract them. You run].

Arthur felt like he could kiss the Frenchman’s ass out of gratitude.

\- Thank you so much!

But the young man was already standing up and walking to the sound system. He faked that he was distracted and that he tripped on the carpet, falling over the stereo and knocking it on the floor.

\- WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON! – one of the nurses screamed from the corridor.

All of them walked angrily into the room. They ignored all the other inmates and went directly to the French young man.

That gave Arthur the perfect opportunity to stand up and walk away unnoticed. He ran barefoot and still using the open straightjacket to the corridor.

He was Free!

He was going to make it!

He was almost at the reception, and then he would just have to either steal a car or run for his life.

He could make it!

Then Arthur made the mistake of looking back.

The French young man was being crudely beaten by at least 10 male nurses. He was bleeding on the floor, trying to protect his head and chest, but there were too many assailants!

He would die!

Arthur stopped midway.

He had only one second to decide, before saying “Fuck it!” and running back to save the Frenchman’s ass.

With a war scream, he attacked the nurses with all his fury.

To be fair, Arthur handled the raging nurses pretty well for someone who was being starved, was still wearing a straightjacket and was at a huge disadvantage.

But he still was weaker than all those men.

Now he was the one being beaten to death.

“What a great way to go!” he though sarcastically.

To his great fortune, Dr. H and other high staff showed up on that time.

\- STOP! – the doctor screamed. Even injured, Arthur could appreciate seeing the bastard doctor lose his cool.

The nurses stopped the attack.

Dr. H glared at everyone.

\- What, the hell, happened here?

Before anyone could open his or her mouths to blame the Frenchman, Arthur already had a smart answer and a smirk.

\- You are all incompetent! You don’t even know how to tie a straightjacket anymore!

And he spat on the doctor’s feet.

Well, maybe not his smartest move.

He was not beaten again (he was already too injured), but the straightjacket was tied again (this time with two lockers) and he was put on the solitary with no food or water again.

The solitary cell was one of those awful Asylum cells that one sees in movies: all padded and with not one single furniture. The movies just didn’t mention that those fuck rooms were dark as hell, dirty and stinky.

Arthur laid on the floor feeling tired, pained and thirsty.

He stared at the door, even if he knew that it wouldn’t open until the next day.

The door had a small opening on its feet. Like a dog door. Apparently, that was to feed the patient on the solitary. The bastards probably never used that.

Arthur didn’t know how much time has passed. He must have fallen asleep on the hard floor, because the next thing he remembered was that dog door being opened.

Light touched his face. He blinked trying to get his eyes used to it again.

\- French is not stupid. – a voice said quietly from that small opening – It is beautiful.

\- It has too much weird stuff. Like giving pronouns to inanimate objects. – he answered automatically and without thinking. Then Arthur blinked and tried to stare at the visitor – And you apparently know how to speak my language – he accused, glaring at the Frenchman.

The French stared at him from the small opening. He was laying on his stomach on the floor and holding the food door open with one hand. He had a torn lip and black eye, but other than that he seemed fine.

\- It is easier if they think you don’t know English or only know a broken English. – he said nonchalantly – They leave you alone for most part of the day. Unfortunately you probably cannot use this trick anymore.

\- No shit, Sherlock. – Arthur said sarcastically.

The Frenchman rolled his eyes.

\- Rude. I’ll leave then. – he said closing the dog trap.

Desperation aroused in Arthur’s chest. He was tired of being tied up alone in the dark. Any good company was welcomed.

\- Wait! Please! I’m sorry, ok? I’m just so angry with all this. Sorry! Please come back! Please!

The food door opened again. The Frenchman reached out to caress Arthur’s face.

\- You are hyperventilating. Calm down and breathe with me, oui?

\- Please don’t go!

\- I’m not going anywhere. Just breathe in… - he breathed deeply to encourage Arthur doing the same - …and breathe out.

The English teen hadn’t even realized that he was hyperventilating until the French said that.

Once he calmed down, he felt like an idiot.

The Frenchman smiled to him.

\- Better now?

Arthur nodded.

\- I’m sorry for that…

The older boy caressed the younger’s face.

\- That is ok. You are young and not the first one to have a panic attack for being in the straightjacket for too long. And by your rebel attitude, I’m sure you spent most of your days like that.

Arthur pouted.

\- I’m not that young!

\- Younger than me still. - he stayed quietly studying Arthur’s face – Why did you ever come back to save me? You could have just run, it would take them at least half an hour to miss you and go after you.

\- They would have killed you! I couldn’t just run away and let you be beaten to death!

\- Why not?

\- You helped me escape! It wouldn’t be right to let you die after helping me! – Arthur snorted before continuing – Besides, it is not fair you be killed in this hell hole.

The Frenchman seemed genuinely confused.

\- Why not? I’m really not that special, and probably wouldn’t be the first or the last person to die here.

\- Well, not on my watch, mister.

He stared at Arthur in a weird way. The English teenager didn’t know how to interpret those sad eyes.

He retracted his hand. Arthur automatically missed the skin-to-skin contact.

\- Wait just a second. I’ll be back in a few minutes, can you stay calm until them? – the French asked.

Arthur swallowed hard and nodded.

\- I’ll try.

He smiled before closing the food door.

Arthur stayed breathing slowly in the dark. Although being tied up in the dark was still horrible, the idea that someone nice would come back kept the teen calmer. He still wanted to reach out for the other, but the straightjacket kept him in place.

In some minutes, the French was back. He smiled and pushed a plate of food inside the padded cell.

\- Here, you need it.

Arthur immediately started to eat. He didn’t care that he looked like a dog or other animal. He was just too hungry to care.

\- And here there is some water. – he said stretching his arm and holding a cup of water, so Arthur could drink without turning the cup.

The English teen ate everything and drank all the water.

\- Is there more food? – he asked immediately – This seemed only half of their usual portions.

\- Indeed it was. This was half of my food.

Arthur gaped at the stranger.

\- But…why?

The Frenchman gave him a sad smile and shrugged.

\- I wasn’t hungry and I don’t mind sharing. I can get you more water if you want.

\- Yes, please!

\- Ok, but it will be water from the tap.

\- I’m too thirsty to care.

\- Wait right here.

\- Where the fuck would I wander to?

But the French was already gone. Arthur waited in the dark again until he came back with another cup full of water. And another, and another.

Only after the third cup, Arthur’s thirst was satisfied.

He laid on his side facing the French young man while he took the plate and the cup away.

\- Thank you so much…

The other smiled pleased.

\- You’re welcome! Try not to cause too much trouble. They may let you go to the ward again.

\- I can’t make promises. – he grouched.

The Frenchman chuckled.

\- Just try not the get yourself killed or worse, ok?

\- I’ll give it a try.

\- Right. I got to go now, they will be probably looking for my plate soon.

Arthur nodded, already feeling the weight of being left tied in the dark.

\- I understand. – he paused – I don’t even know your name.

The Frenchman smiled.

\- I’m Francis. Francis Bonnefoy

Arthur smiled too.

\- Nice to meet you Francis, I’m Arthur Kirkland. I would shake your hand but I am a little tied up right now.

Francis chuckled again, his smile staying on his lips for a little longer than necessary, as if he was seeing Arthur’s soul.

\- You are so full of life. It is good to see that this place hasn’t taken your humour away. – he sighed – I’ve gotta go. But I will come back tomorrow.

A tiny little sparkle of hope bloomed on Arthur’s heart.

\- Promise? – he asked like a lost little child.

Francis reached out again to caress Arthur’s face one more time.

\- I promise. See you tomorrow.

And he left quickly, as if removing a bandage.

Arthur stared at the door for a long time.

\- See ya… - he said to the empty room.

The only thing that kept him strong for the next day’s torture was that small promise that Francis would come back for him.

The whole day he held into that hope, the hope that somebody cared.

He was tied up on his padded cell again not as a punishment (he didn’t act up that much on that day), but because Nurse D had now a grudge against him for trying to escape. At least this time they allowed him to have dinner first.

Francis was back that night, just as he promised.

\- Want some food, _lapin_ [bunny]? – he asked with humour as soon as he opened the food door.

Arthur smiled relieved.

\- I won’t say no to food, even this crappy food.

That, basically, became their routine on the next months.

Francis would visit Arthur almost every night and bring his leftovers. They would talk and share their experiences at Rutledge Asylum.

Arthur learned that Francis was nineteen years old and he had been there for two whole years now. Apparently, Rutledge was the place where the rich people in Europe (and some other parts of the world) would send their children who didn’t “fit” on their ideals, either because they had mental illness or because they just didn’t fit. A small hellhole where those kids would either be forgotten or be broken into submission.

Francis didn’t want to say why he was there. However, by the way he always seemed so sad, the marks on his wrists and the dreaming way he would always say that Arthur was “full of life”, the English teen had a very good guess of what happened: ruthless parents wanted a headstrong boy and they had a sensitive man instead. And when their sensitive and lovely son got depressed, they threw him away like garbage.

Well, Arthur made no secret that he was there because he was gay and his bigoted father sent him there to be tamed and straightened.

Francis only nodded.

\- Made sense. – he said seriously.

And he didn’t say anything more. He would still pet Arthur’s face or let Arthur held his hand whenever the younger teen was without the straightjacket.

One day, Francis stopped bringing meals.

\- They got stricter with the plates. – the Frenchman said with a serious and sad tone – We need to get you out of here fast.

\- Not without you. – Arthur smirked – We are now a package, Francis.

Francis gave him a sad smile and some tears ran down his face.

\- Why must you be so full of life…? – he asked with quiet sobs.

The English could only hold his hand and kiss it to try to comfort his friend.

Arthur didn’t know how he would handle all that without Francis.

And he didn’t know when he fell in love with the Frenchman.

He wanted to kiss Francis silly and to take him away from that horrible place to help him get on his feet again.

They needed to get out of there.

On his next session with Dr. H, Arthur stole a single paper clip and kept it hidden on his mouth. When Francis went to see him that night, Arthur smiled and spit the clip.

\- Now you can release me! You can open the door and we run away tonight! – he said with a bright smile.

Francis became more serious than ever.

\- But you have no escape plan!

\- And we will never have one! We are locked here without any contact with the outside. I’m even worse than you because I’m on this damn cell most of the time! He HAVE TO give it a shot!

Francis stared at him for a long while.

\- Francis, please!

In the end, the Frenchman sighed.

\- You are too full of life.

Arthur smirked because he knew he had won.

\- Great! Here is the paperclip.

He passed the clip to Francis through the food door.

Francis didn’t pick it right way. He studied the clip on the floor between them for a while before saying.

\- Ok. But this has to be later this night. Right now is too dangerous.

\- But will you be able to come here later? – Arthur frowned.

The French young man gave him a sad smile.

\- Positive. I know a way to avoid the nurses.

Arthur was still worried.

\- Are you sure?

Francis kept his sad smile and stretched his arm to cup the younger teen’s face. Arthur closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, even if the French’s touch was cold. Francis chuckled lightly.

\- Don’t fret, _mon lapin_ [my bunny]. I’ll be alright. Get some rest. I’ll come back for you at midnight.

And he closed the food door.

The waiting was terrible for Arthur. He had no way to count the time, he was hungry and he was thirsty. The anxiety was too much for him to simply sleep. So Arthur held his knees and just waited, feeling more fear at every instant that passed.

Suddenly, the door was opened. Francis was smiling on the other side.

Arthur just reacted and ran to hug the other teen tightly.

Francis chuckled.

\- No time for that, _lapin_ [bunny]. We need to go to the deposit to pick your clothes and-

\- Our things.

-AND other things and then run to the back garden.

\- Wait, why?

\- Well, you cannot run away barefoot and with the Asylum’s uniform, _mon coeur_ [My heart].

\- But why the garden?

\- It is unguarded and easy to climb. The reception ALWAYS has someone there at night, and the other exits have cameras.

Arthur awed at him.

\- You thought that on your own on only a couple of hours?

Francis smiled with sadness once again.

\- I had some help.

\- Who?

\- Some friends on the other side. I have no time to explain. I need you to follow me and follow my commands without questioning it. Can you do that, Arthur?

The English teen smiled.

\- Hell yeah.

Francis smiled too and hugged the younger once more before holding his hand.

\- Follow me.

On the first step that Arthur took, he stepped on something.

\- Ouch!

He had only one second to see that he had stepped on the very paperclip that he had stolen that same afternoon.

\- Is that the pape-

\- I found an easier way to open the door. Now be quiet. – Francis urged him in whispers.

Francis guided him to the staff area. Arthur was amazed on how the Frenchman had memorized in so little time all the times of the cameras turns.

Arthur didn’t know if his heart was beating fast due to the adrenaline or due to being that closer to Francis without the cell door between them.

Oddly enough, the deposit door was open, a big coincidence or magic. They closed the door and lighted the lights.

\- Bloody hell! – Arthur said immediately.

There were dozens of boxes with each inmate’s belongings. They were filling at least 20 iron shelves and several desks on the walls.

\- We are never gonna find anything! – Arthur said in despair.

Francis hugged him again.

\- Don’t lose hope. You look over there, near those archives, and I’ll look on the shelves.

\- It will take all night!

The Frenchman cupped his face tenderly and with eyes full of fierceness.

\- It will be fast! You are gonna make it, ok? You are full of life and you can do it!

Arthur stared at those beautiful blue eyes and nodded.

\- Ok…

Francis smiled.

\- Good! Look near the archives. And pay especial attention to the envelopes too, ok?

The English teen nodded again.

\- Ok.

They split up and started to look around.

Fortunately, Arthur seemed to be lucky that night.

He found Francis’s belongings in a common sized envelope.

\- Francis! I found your stuff! – he whispered in a hushed tone.

\- Good! – Francis answered in the same tone. He didn’t seem to be too far away – Now take a look at the shelves behind you.

Soon enough, Arthur found a box with his name on it, exactly where Francis said it was.

\- Fantastic! I found it!

The English teen was staring at his findings confused.

\- Why do I have a box and you only have an envelope?

Suddenly the lights turned off and Francis walked in a hurry to Arthur.

\- There is no time to think about it! I think I heard someone coming!

\- Fuck!

\- Let’s hide!

They stayed behind one of the shelves, Francis shielding Arthur with his body.

The sound of steps came from the corridor. Someone opened the door. A flashlight illuminated the place.

\- Is somebody there? – the voice of one of the most cruel male nurses was heard. Arthur didn’t know his name, so he called him Tweedledee.

His companion, Tweedledum, was right behind Tweedledee, like always.

\- This place gives me the creeps during the night.

\- Shut up! You already told me that!

\- What we are doing here anyway?

\- I heard a noise.

\- But there is nobody here!

\- Shut up!

He started walking to see behind the shelves.

Arthur hugged Francis tightly.

That was it.

The End of the Line.

He probably would be beaten and left with the straightjacket for a whole week. Francis probably wouldn’t be able to visit him anymore. They would be kept apart and that would kill Arthur on the inside.

His mind had only one thing running again and again and again.

“Please… don’t find us…”

Apparently, someone heard his asks.

A distant loud noise was heard on a corridor far away before Tweedledee could get any closer to where Arthur and Francis were holding each other.

\- What was that? – Tweedledum asked with fear.

\- Loonies out of the bed. – Tweedledee said (probably smirking) – Let’s go!

They both charged towards the hall, pursuing the patient out of the bed.

Arthur released the breath he was holding.

He was panting, but he gave Francis a shaken smile.

\- Fuck! That was-

He didn’t finish the sentence.

Francis lips were crashing on his.

It was as if his brain had stopped for one second. The only thing on his mind was Francis.

The French young man pulled away shortly after.

\- _Desolé, Je s-_ [I’m sorry, I-]

But Arthur didn’t let him finish either.

He NEEDED to kiss Francis back immediately.

Francis’s lips were a little cold, but they warmed very quickly under Arthur’s lips.

The Frenchman broke the kiss and stayed with closed eyes with his forehead touching Arthur’s forehead.

\- You are too full of life. – he said very quietly.

Arthur chuckled.

\- I know. You told me that a billion times.

Francis chuckled too before picking Arthur’s free hand.

\- We don’t have much time left before they find out that you escaped. Come on, we can talk on the garden!

They sprint to the backyard garden, the Frenchman always knowing how to avoid the security cameras and the night nurses.

Arthur was panting hard and having troubles to keep up. How could Francis run so fast for so long?

The backyard garden was more like a small unkempt forest than a proper garden. In the past, it was probably beautiful, but the administration probably didn’t think that the patients were deserving of such a luxury.

Francis guided Arthur to a corner where a tree would meet the wall that surrounded the Rutledge Asylum.

\- You are almost there, _mon amour_ [my love]. You just have to jump the wall. It would be best if you put on your boots now.

Arthur took a moment to recover his breath.

\- You mean “we”.

\- Pardon?

\- WE just need to jump the wall.

Francis looked away. Arthur growled annoyed.

\- Francis, we don’t have time for this! We have to do this together!

Francis stared at the moon for a while before looking back to Arthur with the saddest eyes that the younger English boy had ever seen.

\- I’m sorry, Arthur, I didn’t tell you the whole truth… There was another reason why I stopped delivering you half of my food… A reason why I know so much about how to escape…

\- It is ok, Francis, I didn’t mind. We can discuss this later, but we have to go!

Francis looked at him with sadness one more time before walking to the wall and walked through it.

Arthur gasped and ran to touch the exact place where Francis had vanished.

It was solid wall.

\- I didn’t know how to tell you… - he heard Francis’s sad voice behind him.

The English teenager turned around with tears in his eyes.

Francis was back there. His clothes were now white and he was glowing softly. He seemed healthier than before.

\- It can’t be… - Arthur couldn’t believe his eyes – I just touched you! That is not possible! You can’t be… You can’t be…

\- Dead? – Francis said with the saddest of the smiles – But I am.

Arthur let the box and the envelope that he was carrying fall and started to punch Francis’s chest in despair. He was sobbing and crying like a baby. The French ghost took the hits quietly. He held Arthur once he stopped, giving him his shoulder to cry on.

\- I’m sorry, _mon amour_ [my love]. – he said quietly.

It took a while for Arthur to calm down enough to look to Francis again.

\- How did this even happen!?

Francis sighed.

\- They tried a different treatment with me. Electroshock. But the machine wasn’t properly calibrated.

\- How can I even touch you, if you are… you are…

He still refused to say the word.

Francis brushed Arthur’s hair out of his face.

\- For two reasons. The first one, I fell in love with you, the brave boy who was willing to sacrifice his own freedom for me. And the second, - he gently held the English boy’s chin so they could face each other in the eyes – you are so full of life. I’m drawn to you, like a moth to the light, even after my death.

Some tears ran down the younger boy’s face.

\- I’ll stay here! I’ll stay with you! – he said stubbornly.

The Frenchman shook his head.

\- Please, don’t do that. We both need to get out of here, and I can only leave once you are out.

\- Why?

\- Because that is the only thing that is keeping me on earth.

\- So I’ll stay with you here forever!

Francis sighed.

\- Arthur, you would suffer too much and I would suffer seeing you suffer. We would both be miserable if you stay.

\- I can handle it!

\- But I can’t! – he cupped Arthur’s face. There was desperation in his eyes – Arthur, please, I’m begging you. If you really love me, you will free both of us and leave this place.

The English boy started to cry again.

\- This is NOT fair!

Francis kissed him again.

\- I know. I’m so, so sorry…

The French ghost dried some of Arthur’s tears.

\- We don’t have much time, they have already found out that your cell is empty. I can feel it. I’m trying to make noise to hold them, but that won’t last. I need you to promise that you will escape and never look back, can you promise me that, Arthur?

The English teen nodded.

\- I promise.

\- Good! Inside my envelope you will find some stuff, much of that useless, but you will find a rose necklace. – he stared at his love with tears of his own on his eyes – I know that this is too little, but that is all I can offer you to remember me.

Arthur was crying again. He felt like he couldn’t answer.

\- Now, _mon amour_ [my love], put on your boots please.

The English boy opened his box and mechanically put on his boots.

Francis nodded approvingly.

\- Good. – he cupped Arthur’s face and kissed him one last time. Arthur answered eagerly.

\- I’m gonna miss you. – the English mourned quietly at the end of the kiss.

Francis stared deeply at Arthur’s green eyes.

\- I’ll always be with you. Always. Even when you forget me.

\- I will never forget you.

The French ghost gave his lover one more sad smile.

\- You are too full of life. Life enough for both of us. – he sighed – You have to go, now. Don’t go to the village nearby. Run to the east. You will find a larger city where you can mingle more easily.

Arthur nodded and detached himself from Francis as if he was removing a bandage. He climbed the tree with some difficulty due to the fact that he was carrying the big box with his belongings (Francis’s envelope was now inside the box).

He stopped at the top of the wall looking at Francis one last time.

Francis was slowly disappearing. Arthur thought that he looked like an angel.

\- Goodbye, _mon vrai amour_ [my true love]. Goodbye, Arthur. – Francis said before vanishing forever.

Arthur stared at the spot where the ghost had been, tears running down his face.

\- Goodbye, Francis.

And he jumped the wall to his freedom.

The staff of Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum never found Arthur Kirkland again, no matter how hard they looked.

The boy just vanished with his belongings.

His father, Lord Kirkland, was furious, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about his son anymore.

Nobody never heard of Arthur Kirkland again.

For all purposes, he had died at the Rutledge Asylum.

On the next morning after the disappearing, Arthur Bonnefoy showed up on the city at east from the asylum. And all the people who ever met him (whether they liked him or not) all agreed: that man was indeed full of life.

**Author's Note:**

> Making off of the story:
> 
> This story was supposed to have a VERY different ending. Like, I was imagining that Arthur would escape before Francis's eletroshock session. He would call his brother, Alistair, for help, but he would be captured. The evil doctor would amputate his leg as a punishment and to avoid future escapes. Arthur would get an infection due to the surgery and he would be almost dying. Francis would steal some weapon and make his way to see his love. The plan was to put Arthur out of his misery and then commite suicide. BUT Alistair and the police would arrive on that moment and save the two lovers. They would survive AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!  
> (or at least the happiest a traumatized couple can be).
> 
> But this would take too long and I didn't have the time. So I decided for the easy way and made Francis a ghost who helped his lover to escape.
> 
> I made myself cry while writting it haha I'm evil (and proud).
> 
> The doctors and nurses and the Asylum name were taken from a videogame: "American McGee's Alice" and "Alice: Madness Returns". Man... I LOVE these games s2 I love the concept of the Asylum and everything.
> 
> Anyway, as I said at the beginning notes, the mentioned inmates were Spain, Prussia, Japan and Poland. I kind of imagined the reasons why they are at those hellhole, but I didn't have a space to put it on the fanfic.
> 
> Well, I hope I’ll see ya tomorrow =3
> 
> Bye-bye! o/


End file.
